Life Isn't Fair
by SasukeUchihaMustDie
Summary: Everything in Sakura Haruno’s life is finally coming together. Recently she was promoted to Jonin and Sasuke Uchiha is actually showing interest in her. But all of her hopes and dreams are about to be shattered as Tsunade tells her the bad news. GaaXSaku
1. As it All Falls Apart

**Chapter One: As it All Falls Apart**

"Tsunade-shishou, what did you call me for?" Sakura Haruno stood before the Godaime, whom was sitting at her desk, in her medic outfit. The Hokage rarely ever summoned her while she was doing medical work in the hospital so something had to be up. "Is something wrong?"

"Sit down, Sakura," the Hokage gestured at the chair before her. The pink haired kunoichi hesitated; if Tsunade wanted her to sit down that meant she had serious news. "Is everyone okay, Tsunade-shishou?"

"Yes Sakura, it's nothing like that," A wave of relief fell over her, that meant that no one had perished on a mission or anything. She sat down, folding her hands and crossing her legs; whatever Tsunade was going to tell her couldn't be that bad.

The Godaime's aura did not change, now Sakura began worrying again. Did that mean that someone was badly hurt? But if they were wouldn't she be kept in the hospital to tend to them? She was truly puzzled by the whole thing and kept running possible explanations through her head. Was someone captured by an enemy to Konoha? Were the Akatsuki on the move again in their quest to remove the tailed-beast that rested inside Naruto? He was one of the only ones left after all; it was only a matter of time before—"Sakura! Pay attention!"

"My apologies, Tsunade-shishou," She attempted to bow in her chair. It was probably a good idea to listen as to what she had to say before she went about making any assumptions. "I don't mean to be rude, but could you please tell me as to why I was summoned here?"

"Sakura, I have called you here to inform you of our situation with Sunagakura," the Godaime leaned forward in her chair slightly, resting her chin on her fingertips. Sakura could see that she was trying to hide her true feelings on the matter. Just what was going on? "As you know we are currently allies with them, however…"

Tsunade sighed and leaned back in her chair, taking one of the strands to her hair and pulling it back behind her ear. "The elders of Suna have grown suspicious of our loyalty for some reason that I cannot explain as Konoha has done nothing but support Suna."

"So you're sending me to mend the ties with Sunagakura? Will I have to go to some conference? You know I don't like public speaking, Tsunade-shishou."

"Not quite, now let me finish before you make any more theories."

"My apologies, Tsunade-shishou."

"Sakura, now you need to take this in slowly," Why would she need to take anything in slowly, unless maybe Konoha was going to war? That wouldn't be good, half of their troops needed to be stationed to guard the village from possible attacks from neighboring countries. "Sunagakura has requested a representative from Konohagakura."

"So it is a conference then?"

"No Sakura," the Godaime sighed, looking up at the ceiling as if it would present her with answers. "The sand village has asked for someone to help 'aid' the Kazekage."

"I don't understand."

"Let's see, I don't really know how to put this," she scratched her cheek with her long painted nails. "Sunagakura requests a female representative from Konohagakura to tie the knot with the Kazekage."

"Someone's supposed to _marry Gaara_?"

"That is correct."

"Okay, so I have to go out and find someone to fill that position? I don't know if I could make that sort of decision, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura couldn't exactly see herself fixing the former Shukaku host with someone like Hinata.

The Godaime frowned; her student was making it more and more difficult for her to break the news to her. It was time to cut to the chase. "Sakura, you are my student, my apprentice, you are the closest thing Sunagakura considers to be like myself."

"Oh, why thank you Tsunade-shishou."

Was today 'Oblivious Day' or something? Didn't she understand what she was getting to? "Sakura, Suna requests that _you_ participate in Holy Matrimony with the Kazekage. You will have to give up your ninja ways and serve him as his wife."

Her words hit the kunoichi like a rock, '_participate in Holy Matrimony with the Kazekage'_? _'Give up her ninja ways'_? How could Tsunade even think of such a thing? She had just made it to Jonin rank, she loved being a shinobi—it was her life. Sasuke Uchiha had just returned to the village after slaying the snake Sannin, Orochimaru, and after years and years she had finally gotten his attention in the right way, he was actually showing interest in her. Sakura's world as she knew it was finally looking up for once she had gained respect from all the villagers and was looked at as a person of power among them. The Uchiha boy had invited her to one of the annual festivals and she was looking forward to going with him.

But now, now that was all just going to change like that? All that she had worked for, all that she had dreamed of was just going to end? "M-me? Surely there is someone else that could take my place?"

"I'm sorry Sakura, but Suna's elders want only you. Believe me, I've tried negotiating with them, they stand firm behind their request. I have no choice in the matter; it's either send you or lose our treaty with Suna. If that were to happen we would be attacked for sure."

"What about Gaara? I mean he certainly wouldn't just break the alliance off like that?"

"The Kazekage and I both fought hard against the idea at the conference in Suna that decided this deal, but in the end we were both defeated. He is no more thrilled about this idea than I am, he knows that it will bring tension about our village, he does not wish to anger Naruto."

'_Naruto?'_ That was right; the two of them were good friends. Gaara must have been aware that Naruto had feelings for her or else he wouldn't have opposed the idea as much as she had said. "Tsunade-shishou, surely there's another way?"

"I'm sorry Sakura, but my hands are tied." She looked truly saddened at this but that didn't mean that the pink haired kunoichi didn't want to just jump up and punch her square in the face. Much her to dismay she found that she was unable to; her body was in such shock that it wouldn't move. "Tsunade-shishou…please…"

She didn't want to marry the Kazekage; she wanted to marry Sasuke Uchiha. All her life she had devoted herself to him, fought against Ino for him, and tried her best to get his attention. Now none of that mattered, in fact her whole life no longer mattered. It was over, her fate was sealed. "I'm sorry Sakura."

Tears fell from her eyes to her skirt, it had to be a horrible nightmare, she wasn't really going to get married to the Kazekage. Maybe it was a late April Fools trick, it was only the middle of the month maybe Tsunade was just late.

But no one yelled out that it was just a joke. Tsunade sat still in her chair watching her cry her eyes out. Sakura couldn't help it, she had promised herself that she would never shed another tear again but now…now her life was falling apart and she didn't care.

"You leave early tomorrow morning; please get a good night's rest."

* * *

Her apartment room was in pieces. Clothing was scattered across the floor, potted plants lay tipped over, mirrors had been shattered, and there were several holes in the painted-pink walls from where her fist had gone through.

The kunoichi was furious, furious with the whole world. All that she had worked for was being tossed out the window, her pride was no more. She still couldn't get over the fact that her own shishou had just thrown her to the elders of Suna like that.

Sakura stuffed her some of her clothing and necessities into her bag, if she needed anything else the stupid Kazekage would have to buy it for her.

How had it come to this? Earlier that day she had spent time at the coffee shop with Ino, Hinata, and Tenten laughing and gossiping. She had walked through the village with Sasuke, talking to him about various things and maybe even flirting a bit. In the afternoon she had practiced her shuriken throwing at the old posts that Team 7 always had used for training. But now none of that mattered because she was being forced to leave that life behind.

Maybe she could run away and become a missing-nin like Sasuke had been. She could return when the problem had passed and everyone had forgotten about the whole thing. But then that wouldn't fix it, Konoha would still have to break their alliance.

After throwing the bag against the wall and flopping down on her bed, she buried her head in her soft pillow. Part of her wanted to scream into it as loud as she could and the other part of her just wanted to die. Her life was over after all, what was the point of it all?

She tried to look at the situation as a positive thing, that she would be helping Konoha stay out of conflict. Marrying the Kazekage would be considered by others as an honor, she should think of herself as being very lucky. This reinforcement failed miserably though, she just felt worse.

'_Sasuke-kun…'_ Her dream of being able to marry him had just been squashed. She'd never be able to fulfill her promise that she had made the night he had left the village, to be a good wife to him, to live happily together, to bare his children. Now she'd have to be a good wife to the Kazekage, live miserably with him, and bare _his_ children.

Arranged marriages, she had thought the practice had died out but now she was going to be part of one. What would it be like? The wedding would probably take place outside in the hot desert sun, she'd have to wear a bathing suit instead of a dress because of the heat, and all the flowers would be wilted. _'Perfect…just perfect.'_

Turning over on her side, she tried to remember what the Kazekage was like. During the chuunin exam he had tried to kill not only Lee but Sasuke as well although that plan was foiled when Orochimaru's plan was put into action. In the forest she watched as Sasuke was thrown around like a toy by the monster that was both Gaara and Shukaku, how could she ever live with such a man? _'This sucks.'_

Sure, it had been several years since those incidents but he was still the same Gaara, minus the raccoon-dog demon. After her battle with the Akatsuki in Suna he had been resurrected by Chiyo and although he seemed kinder to Naruto and the others he was still distant and cold.

'_Ugh, my head…'_ She closed her eyes, she had a horrible migraine from all the thinking she had been doing. There was nothing she could do; she had to accept her fate.

Soon after she drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

The desert sun was hot and merciless as she walked through the streets of the desert village of Suna. She had said her goodbyes to Naruto and the others, including Sasuke. It wasn't like she wasn't ever going to see them again, but still.

Sasuke had seemed rather cold; she decided that it was because he was angry due to the fact that she would be marrying the man who had once tried to kill him. Maybe the truth was that he was disappointed that she wouldn't be marrying him, but she chose to put that idea out of her mind, it would only make the situation more painful.

Sunagakura was rather busy; its citizens bustling about running errands and things as she walked passed them. According to Tsunade she was supposed to meet up with one of the Sand Siblings but so far she hadn't come across any of them.

But she didn't have to search much further, as she turned around to hear where her name had come from she saw the oldest, Temari, running towards her. A wave of relief fell over her; she had prayed that it wouldn't be Gaara who would welcome her.

The dirty blonde haired female smiled at her, she was considerably taller than Sakura and was dressed in the same clothing that she had seen her wear when Naruto had returned to the village a few years past. "Welcome to Sunagakura, Sakura."

"Thank you, Temari-san," she bowed before her to show her respect, although it probably wasn't necessary as she would soon have a position much higher than her. "How was your journey here, did you run into any trouble?"

"No, it was fine. A little hot, but fine."

"Yeah, you'll have to get used to the desert sun, it's not that bad after awhile. It gets really cool here at night too, quite a difference," The oldest Sand Sibling looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes with her hand from the brightness. "So, let's get going, shall we?"

The two of them continued on towards the largest building in the village, which Sakura guessed to be the Kazekage mansion. Temari pointed out various shops and stalls as they went along, she was rather cheerful unlike the kunoichi from Konoha. She tried to seem enthusiastic but it just wasn't working. "So where's Kankurou-san?"

"Hmm? Oh, he'll meet up with us later; he's in a meeting with Gaara at the moment." Sakura tried not to flinch at the Kazekage's name; it just reminded her that it was inevitable that she would have to see him soon. "They should be done soon."

They were approaching the Kazekage Mansion much too fast, Sakura was tempted to run in the opposite direction and flee back to Konoha. Of course she retained this idea, it wouldn't look very good for her village if their representative got cold feet and took off into hiding. "So we're going to be sister-in-laws soon, that's rather exciting, don't you think?"

Sakura tried not to give her a dirty look, she was not nearly as cheerful about the subject as the sand-nin, "Yes, yes it is. I'm looking forward to it."

That of course was a downright lie but Temari bought into it, "I'm sure you and Gaara will get along fine, you two'll be two peas in a pod in no time. He's changed a lot you know; he's very devoted to his village."

Two peas in a pod? The kunoichi felt a wave of nausea come over her but luckily it passed. "Yes, so I've heard, I remember him being quite different at our last meeting."

Temari held open the door to the Mansion for Sakura and motioned for her to enter. This was it; she'd have to face Gaara once he was out of his meeting in the building. She hesitated for a moment and stepped inside, followed by her escort.

The Sand Sibling continued to talk about what the Kazekage had done for his village, all the improvements he had made. If Sakura wasn't feeling sick to her stomach again about meeting him she might have taken note to how impressive the list was.

After passing through a long hallway Temari led her up a long winding staircase. As the two of them climbed higher and higher Sakura felt as though her feet had become filled with lead, it was if they were protesting her ascending further. She continued on though, her head was already light from both the heat and nerves but now it was getting worse as she began to feel dizzy from the circular winding of the stairs. Temari seemed unaffected by it, a smile was plastered on her face, she was very excited about having her meet her brother.

They finally reached the floor that she supposed Gaara was on as Temari left the staircase and proceeded down the hall, Sakura tailing behind. It was awfully long, there were so many doors and rooms that it seemed more like the hospital that she formerly worked at than a house. Sure, the Hokage Mansion had many conference rooms but not quite like this. It seemed kind of ridiculous, were they really all needed? "Temari, why are there so many rooms?"

"Hmm, oh well not all of them are rooms," she turned around and smiled at her, eyes creased. "A lot of them are just doors with walls behind them, that way if there's an intruder it'll be difficult to find Gaara. We'll find the intruder first. Of course even I often get lost in this place, it is rather confusing."

"Well that's just great, I can barely find my way out of a box, I'm going to get lost in this place and no one'll ever find me."

"Nah, we won't let that happen," Temari laughed, "Gaara knows this place like the back of his hand, he'll find you."

Sakura blushed at her comment although she was already red from the heat so it wasn't noticeable. The last thing she needed was for the Kazekage to find her in some corner, starving and dehydrated from being lost for days.

The heat was really getting to her; she was feeling awfully lightheaded from it. She was dripping with sweat as she followed Temari, whom seemed perfectly fine, along.

"Hey kid," Kankurou had just exited from a room followed by several other disgruntled men who did not stay to chat. _'Oh great, that must be the conference room.'_

She heard him welcome her to Sunagakura and the Kazekage Mansion and she was able to thank him for his gesture but her world was growing foggy. The floor was moving slightly and she was now seeing the world in a grey color.

And then she saw him appear from the conference room. He looked fuzzy but she could tell that it was him from his red hair and traditional Kage clothing. She could feel the cold sweat dripping down her face and she managed to mutter the word 'Gaara' before she fainted on to the floor.

"Boy Gaara, she must really like you."

**A/N: Alright, first chapter's officially done. **

**I felt like starting a GaaXSaku story last night for some reason. I'll be devoting most of my time to my SasoXSaku story though so this one might not be updated quite as frequently as that one. Sasori's my favorite character after all, he gets most of my attention. **

**Anywho, thanks for reading and uh… have a nice day. xD**


	2. One Jump Over the Broomstick

**Chapter Two: One Jump Over the Broomstick**

Sakura Haruno slowly opened her eyes as they adjusted to the bright sun of Sunagakura. Once they were accustomed to the lighting, she looked around only to find herself in an unfamiliar place. First of all, she noted, she was lying in a bed that was not her own, the covers had been kicked off which she must have done during her slumber. The room was rather simple, its walls were made of the same sand-like substance as the rest of Suna and the floors were a light maple. From what she could see from the bed, the room also had a large master bathroom connected to it. There was a desk in the corner by the window, bookshelf filled with various books, papers, scrolls, and anything in between, and then there was a large dresser on which, Sakura noticed, was her bag with all her belongings in it. That of course meant—_'This is _Gaara's_ room…'_

All of, what she assumed was the previous day, the things that had happened came flooding back to her. She had arrived in Suna during the late afternoon, she had met up with Temari who led her to the Kazekage Mansion, she had climbed its stairs, she had seen Suna's council leave the conference room, she had seen Kankurou, and then she saw _him_.

Sabaku no Gaara, the man she was _supposed to marry_. Her _fiancé_. Her vision had been blurred due to overheating, which she had fainted from, but she could definitely tell it was him. His Kazekage robes and red hair had confirmed it.

How had she gotten to the position she was in now? She couldn't feel any bruises or aches anywhere on her body which meant she hadn't been dragged up any flights of stairs. So then what had happened? _'Did Gaara _carry_ me?'_

Now what was she supposed to do? She didn't really want to stay in bed all day long but at the same time she didn't really know what else to do. Sakura had already gotten a look at how complicated the Kazekage Mansion was, she really didn't feel like getting lost on her second day.

So she decided to put on a change of clothes and take a shower since there wasn't much else she could do. There were all those books on the shelf that she could read but at the same time they were Gaara's and she didn't want to invade his personal space, he might not react very kindly to it.

She snatched up her bag from the dresser and shut the bathroom door behind her. After pulling out a clean change of clothes she undressed herself and turned on the shower faucet. Stepping inside she pulled back the curtain and let the hot water pound down on her. Sakura loved showers; they relieved her of all her troubles… at least for a moment.

Once she was finished she dried herself off and put on the yukata she had with the lightest fabric material. Luckily it was fairly new and neatly ironed; even though she wasn't thrilled about meeting him, she wanted to make a good impression for her husband-to-be.

Sakura exited the bathroom, after making sure it was spotless from her use, and sighed. As she turned around to make up the bed she realized that she was no longer alone.

"K-Kazekage-sama," she quickly bowed, dropping her bag to the ground in her embarrassment.

"You don't need to treat me like that, we're equals." It would have been more believable if he hadn't said it in a low growl.

Now that her vision was no longer fogged she could see him clearly. He looked older than she remembered but other than that he was pretty much the same. The sand-nin still had the same crimson hair, the same dark rings around his eyes, and the same symbol of 'love' scarred on his forehead. His eyes didn't seem as cold or filled with bloodlust as before but they still weren't exactly warm and welcoming. _'He's really very handsome, I'll give him that much.'_

"I'm sorry, K-kaze—I mean Gaara-sama—I mean Gaara-san!" She bowed several more times at each of her mistakes. Treating him as an 'equal' was going to be harder than he was expecting. Gaara was still a figure of high-power that deserved her respect, despite the whole marriage situation.

Straightening herself up, she looked over at him, her jade eyes meeting his sea-green ones. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she was afraid of him, afraid of her own fiancé. "I—I'm sorry Gaara—"

"Temari is coming to get you ready; the wedding is in three hours."

And on that note he left her dumbfounded as he exited his own room, leaving her there feeling very faint again.

* * *

"You'll have to forgive Gaara, he doesn't know how to handle all of this," Temari said, running a brush through Sakura's hair. "Believe it or not he's rather nervous at this whole thing, even though he won't admit it."

"Make that two of us," Sakura mumbled, she was definitely not thrilled about the whole thing. It would have made things a bit better if Gaara had actually said something comforting to her during their encounter, but then again that didn't seem probable. "He's not exactly the friendliest character."

"Well no, but I'm sure you weren't expecting him to be either. I know it sounds like an excuse, but Gaara did have a rather troubled childhood growing up, because of that he has trouble in the 'outgoing' and 'trusting' departments." The Sand Sibling was right on that part, her brother was definitely not extroverted. How was she supposed to spend the rest of her life with someone who wouldn't even trust her? "Maybe you can change him though."

"Change him?"

"Maybe you're exactly what he needs," Temari shrugged, pulling the top half of Sakura's hair back and tying it with a with a snow white ribbon. "Kankurou and I were both unsuccessful at getting him to really open up. Sure, he loves his village, he even loves his people as individuals, he just fails to really show it. He tries but you can tell he still hasn't gotten to that point yet. Because of that our village still doesn't really trust him."

Sakura severely doubted that if his own siblings couldn't get him to open up then some girl he was being forced to marry certainly wasn't going to be able to. She wasn't about to tell Temari that though, "Maybe, it's worth a shot I guess. I do have to spend the rest of my life with him, might as well try."

"That's the spirit," Temari laughed. "Stand up, let me get a look at you."

Obeying, the Konoha kunoichi stood up and took the mirror Temari was holding out to her. When she looked into it she was rather surprised, the Sand Sibling had done a very good job. Her make-up looked flawless and her hair was done up much better than Ino could ever pull off. At least she'd look pretty for the arranged marriage that she was dreading.

"Now then, the final part," Temari signaled for Sakura to follow her. The two of them reached a closet, which Temari opened, smiling happily at Sakura's reaction.

The closet had only one item inside, the most beautiful gown Sakura had ever laid eyes on. It was snow white with sparkling diamonds scattered all over the skirt part of the dress. The corset part was also decorated in diamonds although they were not scattered, instead they formed several swirls below the bust and the hem was also lined with them. It looked like something a princess in a fairytale would wear. "It's so…so beautiful!"

"Yeah, I know, I wish I was wearing it to mine—not that I'm getting married anytime soon," Temari smirked, handing the hanger in which it hung from to her. "Gaara picked it out for you."

"G-Gaara did?" Sakura said in disbelief, how could the once-bloodthirsty-killer have picked out such a wondrous thing out for _her_? "Really?"

"Well yeah, he knows this is your special day after all… even if you're not very excited about it."

"I see…" Sakura examined the dress again; it was very light and silky to the touch, at least she wouldn't overheat in the desert sun. The dress was something she couldn't have ever even imagined wearing to her dream wedding, the one she had always pictured in her mind where Sasuke Uchiha was waiting for her at the altar. By the looks of it, it had cost a fortune. "I can't get over how perfect it is."

"I'm sure Gaara'll be glad to hear that, it'd make him happy to know you like it," Temari looked to the clock on the wall of her room. "You should hurry up and change, we don't have much time left."

* * *

"Naruto?!"

"Oi, Sakura-chan!" The Jinchuuriki rushed forward, "Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan you look so pretty!"

"W-what are you doing here?!" She was in disbelief; she never thought any of her friends would be present at this arranged marriage of hers. But there he was, Naruto Uzumaki was jumping up and down in excitement in front of her.

"I would never miss your wedding, Sakura-chan! Gaara invited all of us, all of Konoha is here!" With that Sakura started to feel faint yet again, all of this was too overwhelming for her. She had always dreamed of a small wedding, crowds focused on her made her too nervous. "Gaara asked me to be his Best Man; I'll be waiting for you at the altar with Gaara, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura felt a little bit of relief at his words, at least she wouldn't be facing the crowd by herself. Still she wasn't sure exactly who was going to escort her down the aisle—"Sakura-chan!"

Whirling around, Sakura saw Rock Lee running towards her, all dressed up just as Naruto was. _'I guess that answers my question…'_

"You better get out there, Naruto, it's about to start!"

* * *

The aisle that Sakura was being led down by Lee was a lot longer than she had anticipated. Temari was walking close behind her with her the bouquet of white roses followed by two little Sunagakura children that had been assigned the duties of Ring Barer and Flower Girl. If Sakura wasn't panicking quietly to herself she would have been able to hear the Wedding March tune being played by Tenten and she might have noticed all of Konoha's citizens waving happily at her, cheering her on. Only the villagers closest to the two were allowed to sit in the pews that lined the aisle, the rest of the citizens had to sit in stadium seating. They must have been in the same stadium where the chuunin exams were held. "Sakura-chan, look it's Sasuke!"

Her heart stopped beating for a moment. Slowly she turned her head to the right where Lee had signaled, there stood the black-haired Uchiha boy with a solemn look on his face.

And with that she wanted to stop; she wanted the whole thing to stop. She wanted so much to run over to him, to embrace him and just start crying on his shoulder. But she couldn't, she had to go through with it to keep the peace, for her village. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all! She was supposed to marry Sasuke! All those years she had chased him, he had finally begun to accept her, and now it was all just a waste! With tears of sadness, not joy, falling down her face, she turned her head to face both Gaara and the music.

There he was, he was turned away from her but it was definitely him. He was dressed in his Kage robes, his red hair ruffled slightly in the light desert breeze. Naruto was at his side, muttering to him and smiling at Sakura.

He was getting closer and closer as she approached the white altar. It seemed like the path she was walking down was never going to end. She wanted to run away all the way back to Konoha again, but she couldn't. Sakura had gotten this far, she couldn't take off now.

"Here we are," Lee whispered to her as the two of them climbed the two steps to the altar. The priest was speaking, but she couldn't listen. Too many things were going through her head: the marriage that she was supposed to have with Sasuke, all of their children that she could have brought into the world, growing old with him. But now, now that dream was over. So she just stood sobbing quietly next to the Kazekage, unable to look at him.

And then Sakura heard the question asked: "Does anyone have a lawful reason as to why these two may not be wed?"

"Yeah I do."

A hush fell over the crowd and they all turned to see Sasuke Uchiha stand up from his pew. Sakura's face paled, part of her wanted to jump up and down in happiness but another part of her told her to keep her mouth shut for the sake of her village. What was he doing?!

"Sakura Haruno's supposed to marry me, not that monster." He pointed at Gaara, his brow furrowed, which caused the Sunagakura citizens on the right side of the aisle to stand up and relentlessly start shouting at the Konohagakura side which just sat in shame of the Uchiha's actions.

"Enough."

Turning, Sakura saw her soon-to-be-husband facing towards the man she truly wanted to marry, the man who had just made Konoha's name 'mud' with Sunagakura. Gaara looked unshaken by the whole matter and seemed more concerned with calming his villagers than with what Sasuke Uchiha had just said.

"Sakura deserves better than someone like you, Sabaku no Gaara."

The villagers were once again sitting but their eyes shot glares to Konoha's, which weren't paying any attention; they were too busy shaking their heads in shame. "Surely you don't mean your traitorous self, Sasuke Uchiha."

If the atmosphere wasn't so tense then someone like Naruto would have certainly yelled out something along the lines of 'Ohhh burrrnn'. Sasuke's facial expression changed from arrogant to livid. Gaara had caught him on that one; the Uchiha's experience with Orochimaru didn't exactly make him a saint.

"Sakura," The traitor of Konoha snarled, grinning. "Who do you want to marry?"

She could feel everyone's eyes scrutinizing her, but she continued to focus on Sasuke. This was her chance; she could still get out of the whole arranged marriage! She could run away with Sasuke and live happily ever after!

But then she thought of Naruto and all of her other friends from Konoha that desperately needed her to marry the Kazekage. The peace of her village was at stake, if she made the wrong decision then it make her a traitor. She would be forever shunned just like Sasuke; she would lose everyone's respect. Her shishou would never be able to look at her again. The Godaime's own apprentice… betraying her village…

Tears fell more heavily from her eyes creating dark marks around them from the make-up that Temari had applied. From a distance, she would look like a female pink-haired version of the man she stood next to. It was now or never, it was her decision and no one else could make it for her. She could live happily with Sasuke, or be miserable with Gaara.

"…"

"…"

"…I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun…"

That was it, her life was over.

Sakura turned back around to face the priest while Sasuke slowly sat down on his pew, defeated. Sniffing, she and Gaara both made the promise to be faithful to each other as long as they lived. The congregation in turn, except for Sasuke who was sulking, announced that they would support and uphold the marriage.

And then it was time, Sakura turned and faced Sabaku no Gaara, looking directly into his sea-green eyes. She didn't know why, but she was smirking. Slowly she reached out and took his right hand in her own, holding onto it very lightly. And then the vows were said by both:

"To have and to hold"

'_Hold? I don't think so…'_

"from this day forward;"

'_Ugh just let this day end…'_

"for better, for worse,"

'_For worse…'_

"for richer, for poorer,"

'_More like for Konoha's sake…'_

"in sickness and in health,"

'_I'm not taking care of him when he's sick…'_

"to love and to cherish,"

'_I doubt that…'_

till death us do part'

'_Shoot me now…'_

The two of them exchanged rings, and then the words that Sakura had been praying would never be said were: "You may now kiss the bride."

Without thinking, Sakura closed her tearful eyes and pressed her lips to the Kazekage's, who just stood there, shocked. She took note that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, his lips were warm and soft instead of cold and slimy like she had imagined. It only lasted for a second but she managed to live through it.

The two of them faced the applauding crowd and proceeded down the aisle, walking not running, as the two village's citizens showered the two of them in rice. Temari was having difficulty walking behind them due to the fact that Naruto had his arm wrapped around her neck, holding it to his chest and jumping up and down shouting gleefully. It was over, her fate was sealed.

She glanced up at her new husband, who, with an emotionless face, was busy concentrating on guiding her down the aisle. _'This is a great start; he won't even look at me.'_

After what seemed like forever, they went out of sight from the ecstatic crowd.

* * *

The wedding reception was held in the grand dining room of the Kazekage Mansion. Such a room certainly didn't exist in the Hokage Mansion in Konoha, perhaps Suna's villagers were more accustomed to throwing parties or banquets or something. The Kazekage one was also much larger than the Hokage one so it was adequate enough to have a room like that. Though like with the seating arrangements, only the closest villagers to both the bride and groom were invited. Even though it was large, the room just couldn't hold that many people.

Dinner was over and done with and the next part was—

"I don't dance."

"You do now," Sakura hissed, grabbing the Kazekage's wrist and pulling him onto the ballroom floor. A traditional waltz tune started up as the pink haired kunoichi forcefully placed Sabaku no Gaara's arm around her waist and took his hand in her own. Part of her wanted nothing more than to crush his fingers.

They swayed back and forth together and as the dance went on, Sakura began to be relieved of her anger and frustration. The tune was calming and so was being that close to a man as handsome as Gaara. Her mind drifted to how good looking he really was, his looks could really even rival Sasuke's. With that in mind she slowly leaned towards him, lightly pressing herself against him and resting her head on his shoulder. She had to make it look like she was happy to be with him after all.

But then as the music continued to play, it was as if she was in some sort of dream world for a moment, she didn't even care that she was stuck with him for the rest of her life. She took in his smell; it was something wondrous that made her heart flutter. For a moment she was in sort of euphoria, wishing that the moment would never end.

And then the song stopped, reality came back to her and she let go of Gaara. Stepping back, she looked up at him and then smiled for the first time since she had been in Suna, her cheeks red. Gaara didn't return it but he did actually hold out his arm for her to dance with him again, only Naruto stopped him.

"Sakura-chan, my turn!" Naruto spun her around, taking her hand in his and then twirling him around her again and again. His idea of a 'dance' wasn't exactly traditional, especially since what whoever was in charge of music was playing was slow and calm. No, Naruto was throwing her around the floor, not hesitating to get into others who had just joined the dance's way. "Naruto, be careful!"

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, you're the bride, it's okay for you to knock people over." Whether it was 'okay' or not didn't really matter anymore because the two of them had just sent Temari, who was dancing with Shikamaru, flying into one of the room's pillars. "Oi, sorry… who is she again?"

And then before she knew it the dance was over and both her and the Kazekage were called over to the center table where a giant wedding cake towered over the crowd. It was magnificent, pure white with over ten layers to it. Sakura couldn't help but smile at the figurines of her and Gaara at the top.

"Do you want me to do it or you?"

She turned to see Gaara holding what looked like a large kitchen knife. _'That's right…'_

"We're supposed to cut it together," she hissed at him. As he reached over and held the knife above the cake, Sakura gently put her hand atop his, which caused Gaara's hand to shudder slightly under the touch of hers. What was his problem?

Needless to say, despite his being uncomfortable, the two of them cut the first two slices of cake.

"What do we do? Are we supposed to—"

Gaara was unable to finish his sentence because Sakura had just shoved one of the slices into his face. She staggered backward at the sight of him trying to wipe the cake off of him, laughing for the first time since she had left Konohagakura, something that she had been sure would never happen again.

The Kazekage managed to remove most of the cake from his face. After realizing what had just happened, he frowned down at Sakura until he realized that the guests were laughing and applauding. With that he actually grinned slightly at Sakura, which caused her to glance down at her feet, blushing.

Her mood lightened considerably after that and she was actually able to enjoy herself to a certain amount. She had put the fact that she would be spending the rest of her life with her new husband out of her mind and focused on the conversation that she and Ino were having.

"Yeah, and he was totally into me too, he was like all over me."

"Really? That's wonderful Ino!"

"I know, I'm so excited about it!"

"Excuse me, ladies," a familiar voice was heard close behind Sakura, and when she turned it was—"Sasuke-kun?!"

"May I have a word with you? In private?"

* * *

"I believe you owe me an explanation, _Sakura_," Sasuke hissed in her ear, holding her against the wall. He had led her to a room that was quite far from where all the guests were laughing and partying. No one would ever expect them to be there, and Sakura was now sure that had been his intention all along. "Don't you think?"

Her whole body was pressed against the sandy wall, she tried to break free of his hold but she couldn't. If she wasn't so terribly frightened of him right then she might have been able to. This wasn't the Sasuke she had remembered, was it the influence of Orochimaru that had suddenly caused him to change? "Sasuke-kun, please let me go…"

"Not until you tell me what the hell that was all about," He pulled her back for a moment and then slammed her against the wall again as if she were some toy. "After all that… I thought you were going to rebuild my clan for me!"

"I-I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun," she whimpered, her eyes growing wet yet again. "I-I h-had to marry him, f-for Konoha!"

"We're not talking about Konohagakura here, Sakura. We're taking about the fact that the Uchiha Clan may not ever be reborn thanks to your _foolish mistake_."

'_Foolish mistake?'_ Sure, Sakura hadn't exactly gotten married because she wanted to but the outcome of it certainly wasn't 'foolish'. Her village wouldn't have to break the peace treaty it had with Suna which was definitely a plus, of course they would have to disregard Sasuke's little stunt during the wedding though first. "I'm s-sorry Sasuke, th-there's nothing I can d-do now!"

"How could you betray me like that?"

"I-I'm sorry Sasuke-kun! I had to!"

"Have you forgotten how many years you chased after me, Sakura? After all that you're just going to _throw it away_?"

"Th-there was nothing I could do, Sasuke-kun! I w-wasn't given an option!"

"Of course you were, you could have chosen to run away with me. Don't pretend that the thought didn't cross your mind!"

"I-I don't know what you want me to s-say!"

"Run away with me Sakura, run away with me and help me rebuild the Uchiha Clan, our legacy depends on _you_!" he hissed in her ear.

Sakura whimpered, she could feel the presence of her wedding ring on her finger which for some reason gave her more courage, she expected the exact opposite. Maybe she could manage to somehow overpower him, "I'm going to give you one more chance, Sakura. You can run away with me now or rot here in this wasteland."

"I already made that decision during the ceremony, Sasuke-kun, you know that." Her voice did not stutter, she was mustering up all the audacity inside of her; she was going to overcome him!

"Then you're just going to have to suffer the consequences, Sakura." She could feel the cold metal of a kunai press against her shoulder blade, threatening her. What was she supposed to do, forget about Konoha? Sasuke was the love of her life but her village… she couldn't just abandon it!

She didn't have to answer his question though, or overthrow him, because someone else had just done it for her. Sakura's hair whipped around her face as she turned to see Gaara standing beside her, a large amount of sand coiled in the air, challenging the Uchiha boy. "Speak of the Devil."

How Gaara had managed to summon enough sand without his gourd Sakura didn't know, but then she remembered that the whole building was made of it. He must have taken just enough off of the walls to still keep it supported.

The sand swirled around Sasuke's body, making him hover in the air above the two newly-weds. "Give me one reason why I should not kill you, Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke smirked down at him, "It would just prove my point, that you're a _monster_."

With that comment, Sasuke was thrown against the wall yet again. Gaara turned to Sakura, his sea-green eyes did not soften as he stared into hers, "Come."

She looked back at Sasuke as she was led away from him by Gaara; he was slouched over against the wall with a maniacal look in his Sharingan eyes that had been activated. A wave of fear fell over her; this wouldn't be the last that she would see of him.

* * *

Drying her hair off, Sakura entered the Kazekage's bedroom. He was sitting with the covers pulled over his lap, reading a large and difficult book, and when he noticed her presence he looked over at her. She decided it would probably be for the best to come across as friendly, "It's been a long day, hasn't it?"

"Sasuke Uchiha will not bother you again." His voice was his usual low growl that wasn't exactly comforting. Still, it was sort of reassuring even though she was sure that she would. Sasuke wasn't exactly one to give up on something that he really wanted.

"I hope not."

She was shocked at the words that she had just spoken. Just a few hours ago she wanted nothing more than to be with him forever and ever, but now… now she was almost _scared_ of him. He was no longer the same Sasuke Uchiha that she had fallen in love with years ago, he had changed, much more than she had though, since his training with Orochimaru.

Konohagakura hadn't exactly welcomed him back with open arms but at the same time they didn't exactly shun him away. He had returned after murdering Orochimaru after all, he had technically done them a service in doing so. She however, had been thrilled with his return, she made an effort to spend as much time with him as possibly and surprisingly he didn't seem annoyed with her.

But now she wasn't sure, not after the way he had acted at the reception party. Maybe it had all just been a lie the whole time, he had talked only of how he wouldn't be able to rebuild his clan, he wasn't angry at the fact that she wouldn't ever be his. That was it then, she was just his puppet in his much larger master plan to start the restoration that would return his clan to its former glory.

So then what was there left for her? She was heartbroken, she had lost one of the things most precious to her, the thing that was now almost in her grasp, her Sasuke-kun. Sakura wanted to just breakdown there on the floor and cry her eyes out, but what good would it do? The Sasuke she had fallen in love with was gone forever, now what was she left with? Sabaku no Gaara.

"Are you okay?"

Sakura snapped out of her trance and realized that she was still standing in front of him. If he had eyebrows he would have arched one of them, the look he was giving her was rather suspicious. "Sorry, just thinking."

Yawning, she walked over to the other side of the bed and pulled back the covers, climbing in. She rolled on her side turned away from him and closed her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Sakura turned to see Gaara looking rather uncomfortable as he stared down at her. "What do you mean?"

"What are you doing in my bed?"

"Well where else am I supposed to sleep? Besides, I've already slept here, this is where I awoke this morning, remember?" What in the world was going on? Did he live in a box? Surely Temari or someone walked him through the whole 'after marriage' part of the deal. She hadn't bothered bringing up the idea of a Honeymoon; he would never be able to leave his village for something like that anyways. "I had one of the servants prepare our main guest room for you."

Sakura wanted to slap him for being so oblivious to marriage customs. Okay, so she wasn't exactly thrilled about having to sleep in the same bed as he, in fact she wasn't thrilled about anything having to do with him. But they were married now and maybe she could somehow force herself to like him, "I'm not your guest, I'm your wife!"

Gaara looked at her for a moment, giving her a cold stare, and turned back to his book. Inwardly sighing, Sakura laid back down and rested her head on the pillow. What had she gotten herself into?

"I don't like to be touched."

"What?"

He didn't answer; he just flipped the page and kept on reading.

'_Just great Sakura, this is just great.'_

Frowning to herself, she closed her eyes to fall asleep.

**A/N: I decided to update this sooner than expected due to the fact that people actually seem to **_**like**__**it**_**. How strange.**

**It seems like it's moving fast, I know. People will probably be pissed off because of this. The idea isn't exactly very original either, I know. I haven't actually read much of them, but I think they generally don't start out with Sakura getting married right off the bat. I **_**think**_** Sakura usually falls in love with Gaara first. Correct me if I'm wrong though.**

**However, as you probably guessed, just because Sakura already finds herself married to Gaara doesn't mean she loves him or anything. And Gaara doesn't either, but I'm sure you knew that already. **

**I hadn't originally intended for Sasuke to object to Sakura's wedding vows, in fact I hadn't even planned on having him even be present at the ceremony. But then again I was intending to make him sort of the villain of the story so I figured I might as well. **

**Okay, so can you tell that I've never been to a wedding before? Thank you, Wikipedia. I hope it sorta went like a wedding and reception although I wouldn't really know.**

**Anywho, I think I covered everything. Thanks for reading.**

**Oh! I know what I forgot! The title! Okay, so to 'jump over the broomstick' actually means to participate in an illegitimate (I almost said 'illiterate') wedding but I decided to change the meaning so that it meant that Sakura was participating in a marriage that she didn't really consent to. Yeah, that's right; I have the power to change old expressions.**


	3. The Beginning and the End

**Chapter Three: The Beginning and the End**

Sakura couldn't sleep, not after realizing what who she was really dealing with.

It was well into the midnight hours, the desert sun was hidden far from view leaving the temperature to drop considerably. The sky was starry and cloudless, a perfect night. Above her was the Moon, full and ghostly white, the only source of light.

She was sitting atop the Kazekage Mansion, letting the tears fall down onto her knees. The cool wind caused her shivering to increase, but that wasn't the real reason she was shaking. Fear had overcome her; she was unable to stay in the room with that monster anymore.

Memories from the Chuunin Exams had come rushing back to her as she tried her best to stay calm, lying next to the sleeping Kazekage. How could she remain there with the very man who had once threatened to crush her with the sand used to pin her against a tree? She had stood witness to see his attack on Sasuke, his attack on Naruto, and the appearance of the beast that once lurked inside him.

It was gone now, but the man it inhabited certainly wasn't. The beast couldn't have been completely blamed for the man's psychopathic tendencies either, Naruto was a Jinchuuriki and he certainly didn't reflect the Kyuubi's personality. Sure, when he was angry it sometimes reared its ugly head but other than that he was outgoing, rambunctious, and always tried to make everyone around him laugh.

And so when she could no longer bare it any longer, she had somehow managed to creep out the window without disturbing him, and there she sat, crying her eyes out. _'What am I supposed to do?'_

How would she be able to face him? Before the wedding it had only been a brief encounter with him, she hadn't had time to be fearful. At the wedding she had had all the support of her friends, she hadn't been afraid with them there. Even afterwards when she had showered and laid down next to him she had been okay, the feeling of safety lingered with her from the ceremony and reception. But then reality had set in and terror triumphed over her.

'_How will I ever be able to live with him?'_

Sakura would have to spend her remaining days living in fear, would life even be worth living? Never had she thought of herself as suicidal but was it worth it? _'I couldn't do that; there may still be a chance I could return to Konoha… Besides, I could never do that to Naruto and the others…'_

Temari had said he had changed, that he loved his people, his village. Was that even _possible_? How could someone go from one extreme to the next just like that? Sure, it had been a few years since their encounter at the Chuunin Exams but still, it was still such a drastic transformation. He had killed countless people to satisfy his thirst for blood. Heck, he even carved the Kanji of 'Love' into his forehead! People like that don't just turn over a new leaf overnight!

'_Love…'_

Moving a strand of pink hair aside, Sakura traced where the symbol would be with her finger on her own forehead. Countless tears had fallen from her cheeks and the speed and amount that fell increased as she reached into her shuriken holster. Her hand found the cool metal of a kunai and very slowly she began to pull it out.

She held it so the tip of it just touched her forehead. In a few seconds her body would release endorphins that would momentarily relieve her of her pain. Sakura no longer knew who she was, the happy kunoichi from Konohagakura seemed to have vanished, now all that was left was a shell of who she had once been.

Closing her eyes, Sakura clenched her fist and made an attempt to carve the first stroke of the Kanji into her forehead, only she found that she could not.

Sand had coiled itself around the blade of the weapon and wrenched it out of her hand, tossing it off the Mansion's roof. Sakura sat dumbfounded for a moment and then slowly turned her head to the right. Slowly walking towards her was Sabaku no Gaara.

"Don't make that mistake."

Her senses returned to her and she mechanically crawled backwards away from him as he advanced. The slant of the roof was making it easier for her to try and escape from him, but she could only go so far unless she wanted to plummet to the ground below.

She soon found herself at the end of the line, when she attempted to move further back her hand slipped against the edge of the slate shingles. Luckily she was able to catch her balance, or was that a bad thing? It was either face the danger in front of her or the danger behind.

All the remaining color in her face drained itself as she looked up at him. Her eyes rested momentarily on the symbol carved into his forehead, the one she had been so close to engraving in her own, and then turned to his eyes. They were cold; there was nothing warm about them, as they stared right back into her jade ones. The sand from his gourd swirled around menacingly in the air above him. This was the end; he was going to kill her right there on the rooftop.

"Why are you afraid of me?"

Sakura blinked through teary eyes. She wanted to scream out at him all the reason as to why she was afraid of him—he was a monster, a demon! But she couldn't, she just stared up at him unable to speak or move.

Sabaku no Gaara just continued to look down at her with those sea-green eyes of his. He didn't move; he didn't even seem to breathe; he was completely still, waiting for her answer.

Minutes seemed like hours as the two of them just stared at the other, one calm and collected, the other panicked and fearful. It was as if someone turned the Hourglass of Time on its side, time was standing completely still.

What was she supposed to do?! If she answered his question, if she told him all the reasons that she was afraid of him, he'd just throw her off the rooftop, but if she didn't then she would have to spend the next week or so in the position that she was currently in until she died from dehydration. There was just no way out!

And that's when it happened. Her palms had become so wet from the sweat that had formed from both fear and trying to keep herself from falling off the rooftop that they slipped against the smooth shingles. Sakura's entire body slid off the roof of the Mansion sending her falling towards the sandy ground far below.

Her screams were deafening, her eyes were wide with fear as she began to fall faster and faster. Visions of her friends dressed in black, her funeral, and her headstone flashed through her mind as she fell…three stories…four stories…five stories…

Sakura closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. Maybe it wouldn't be so painful, maybe she'd die in midair before she hit the ground, or maybe…

She would never hit the ground.

Opening her eyes, Sakura realized that her fall had been stopped by a large hand of sand, a large hand of sand controlled by the Kazekage.

The hand slowly brought her back up to the rooftop and dropped her down upon it so that she faced him once again. Part of her wished she had reached the ground; at least the whole ordeal would be over and done with.

Unable to look at him, Sakura fell to her knees and watched the tears drip onto the shingles. She wanted nothing more then to evaporate into the night air before him, to disappear. Now what was she supposed to do?

"Why are you afraid of me?"

There was that wretched question again; did he really not know the answer?!

"I-I'm not afraid of you!"

She tossed her head in the air so that she could look him straight in the eye. How she had managed to summon up enough courage to do so she couldn't explain. Somehow she had done it and she wasn't going to back down now. All that mattered now was to prove her answer right.

"You're lying."

Her plan failed miserably, her eyes returned to the puddle of tears that she had created again. This man, Gaara, Naruto trusted him so why couldn't she? He had forgiven him for what he had done, he even related to him with his troubled past and being a demon container. During the ceremony she had vowed to love and cherish him till death, how could she ever do such a thing!?

And then Sakura felt something cold touch her face and trail up her cheek, wiping away the tears as it went. Finding the bravery within her, she looked up to see Gaara kneeling in front of her, his own fingers had wiped away her tears. Sakura noticed that his hand was trembling slightly, was he afraid of _her_? He had told her that he didn't like to be touched hours before, did human contact scare him? Sure, he had danced with her, he even held her hand during the ceremony but he had had to act brave for his village; if he had shook in front of them… well he would have been mocked forever for that. But now that all seemed impossible with him shaking like that. _'How…how could _he_ be afraid of _me_?' _

Despite his quivering, Gaara left his fingertips touching Sakura's cheek ever so slightly. If he had overcome his fears enough to face them, surely she could too, right? Behind him Sakura could see the sand swirling in the air; he was trying his best to keep it away from her. The Kazekage was a figure of high authority but it was apparent now that even he had his weaknesses and the fact that his fear seemed so mundane to her decreased her anxiety.

"Do you know what it's like to be feared by the people you love?"

His eyes were still cold, but as Sakura looked further into them she could have sworn she saw a hint of pain. Gaara had been shunned by society his whole life, even now that he was Kazekage. He served his village as its leader because he loved its citizens, even though they did not necessarily feel the same way. There wasn't a single one of them, not even Temari or Kankurou, who could honestly admit that they didn't fear him to some degree.

A wave of shame fell over her, she was now his wife, and of all people it should have been _her_ to form that first band of complete trust in him. But where was she, she was cowering away from him! He had made the effort to put his apparent fear for her behind him and what had she done? She couldn't even look passed his past to see him for what he really was.

Sakura slowly lifted her own hand up to his and pressed it against his lightly so that his palm cupped her cheek. A shiver was sent down Sakura's spine, his hand was freezing!

The sand behind him swirled around violently in the air, trying to protect Gaara, but he wouldn't let it harm her. He just sat there silently, his hand shaking even more now that she had touched him, but he didn't pull back. It wasn't that he didn't like to be touched, he was afraid of contact like that. He had never really experienced that sort of connection, except maybe in fighting. She remembered how he had reacted when Sasuke had caused him to feel pain for the first time, to see his own blood. Lucky for her, in this situation he wasn't freaking out and transforming into the Shukaku demon.

"I-I don't know what it's like but…" Sakura looked up at him through her teary eyes, still holding his hand to her face, and gave him a small smile. "…I'll do all I can to ch-change that for you, s-starting with myself."

Gaara's expression remained the same but his eyes seemed to soften somewhat, just from that Sakura could tell that her words made quite an impact on him. She gently let go of his hand and looked to the shingles again, blushing slightly.

With that he started to pull his own hand back, trailing his fingertips over her cheek as he lowered his hand. One of them managed to brush against her bottom lip which increased the reddish tint in her cheeks.

"…We should go inside, Gaara-san…"

* * *

The room that Sasuke Uchiha stood in was torn to shreds. Papers and scrolls that had been thrown covered the floor. Lamps and other light fixtures' glass were shattered all over and several potted plants had been knocked over. The covers of his bed had been torn off and the mattress had clumps of stuffing coming out of it where he had ripped it.

He was livid, he had every right to be—that bitch had betrayed him! The only reason he had returned to Konohagakura was for her! She had sworn to him that she would rebuild his clan for him and what did she do?! She ran off with that psychopath of a Kazekage!

No one else could help him bring it back to its former glory but her, he needed _her_! With her skill as a shinobi she was a perfect mate to produce Sharingan-eyed offspring with.

This wasn't the end though; no this was only the beginning, the tip of the iceberg! Sakura Haruno would pay for what she had done to him; she would never be forgiven for her atrocities, not unless she did what she had promised to do.

That wretched Sabaku no Gaara! He would make him pay first, _personally_. How dare he interfere with his plans, what right did he have in doing so?! Just who did he think he was? No one messed with a member of the Uchiha Clan and got away with it.

So what was his next action towards his final goal? If the former Shukaku host hadn't interfered with his initial plan then he wouldn't have had to think up a new one! He had been so close, _so close_!

Sakura Haruno's trust in him was easy to get back once he began 'showing interest in her'. It was all a lie of course, but she was too infatuated with him to notice. Did she really think that a man of his stature would ever fall for someone like _her_? She was foolish and she was exactly the type of specimen he needed, except now it would be harder for him to get her back.

Now he would not only have to venture all the way to Sunagakura again, get passed all its guards and defenses, but he would also have to get passed the Kazekage. Konoha would certainly notice his absence, they had been keeping a close eye on him to begin with but after the incident the day before in Suna no one trusted him. Then of course they would contact the desert village well before he even arrived which would make things extremely difficult and to top it all off Sakura would be under the watch and care of a man of Kage level.

Sasuke shattered the glass of the window as he sent his fist through it. His Sharingan was activated yet again making his appearance all the more frightening. It was as if a monster had formed inside of him, a monster of hate and vengeance. He would retaliate against the Kazekage, he would overpower him and the shinobi world would notice the feat.

'_It will be your funeral, Sabaku no Gaara… And _no one_ will cry for you…'_

* * *

The halls of the mansion were quiet and pitch-black as it was very late at night, the only movement in the house was the two of them passing through the halls back to his room. It was a very eerie feeling walking through the halls like that, their feet echoed off the walls and Sakura continuously looked back behind her to make sure no one was following them. If not for Gaara leading her she would never make it back before daybreak.

But in a way she wished she wouldn't make it back, the silence between them was deafening and very awkward, at least for her. Gaara could probably care less. In a way it would have been better if he hadn't come for her, but then again she would still be terrified of him if that was the case. Sure, she wasn't exactly comfortable around him but it was better than before.

Her jade eyes tried to find him in the darkness but she couldn't see a thing, all she had to follow was the sound of his footsteps, which wasn't very reassuring as she could very well run into something or miss a door. No, if he turned a sharp corner or something she'd surely smash her face into the wall which she didn't need, she'd already caused enough embarrassment to herself already.

'_I should… but should I?'_

It seemed like they had been walking for hours, did Gaara even know where they were going? They should have just gone in the way she had gotten out, through the window. How could there be this many halls to go through in order to get to their room?

'_It would break the silence at least…'_

Sakura just wanted to crawl back into bed and hide for the rest of her life. Their encounter on the roof wouldn't easily be forgotten, any type of conversation would be difficult unless matters improved. But the Kazekage wasn't going to mend the awkwardness, if he could have it his way he'd probably never speak to her again, not to spite her or anything though; he just didn't seem to like to talk much.

'_This is the best thing I can think of right now…'_

What would it be like if she was in his position? She couldn't even begin to imagine. Gaara had to go through everyday knowing that the people he protected had little faith in him, that they were frightened of the very man that had only the best interests in mind for them. It would be so painful.

'_And if I don't it'll just get worse…'_

His footsteps were getting distant, she had to pick up the pace or risk losing him. He had already found her once in a helpless position and she didn't need him to get her out of another one. It would just make matters worse if he had to come and get her…again.

'_I have to…'_

She picked up the pace into almost a trot; his footsteps had gotten much lighter so he must have been farther ahead. Her eyes blindly scanned the area in front of her. "G-Gaara-san? Where are you— oof!"

For a moment Sakura stood still to realize what she had banged into. It wasn't the wall, walls didn't wear clothes. _'Gaara…'_

Her body was pressed against his, she hadn't moved an inch from where she had run into him, and neither had he. She could feel his chest move with the intake of each breath he took. It was a comforting feeling, especially since she was so tired, but then she realized what was really going on; "G-Gaara-san! I-I'm so sorry!"

"Hnn."

Sakura's brow furrowed at his indifference, he could have at least assured her that it was 'no big deal' or something! He could be so difficult!

By the echoing, Sakura could tell he started walking again. How much further could their room be?! Maybe he didn't even know where he was going, but then again she found that to be unlikely. Still, she was just going to lose him again.

So she sped up again, the sound of her footsteps must have caused him to stop because his couldn't be heard anymore. This time he had apparently uncloaked his chakra as she could sense where he was; he probably didn't want her to come in contact with him again.

Well that was just too bad, because when Sakura caught up to him again she grabbed the hem of his sleeve to hold on to. Her hand had brushed against his slightly in the process of snatching up the fabric and he had flinched slightly, but other than that he didn't protest. "Gaara-san, are we almost there?"

"Hnn."

Frowning, Sakura attempted to look up at him only to see darkness, "You could be a little more social, you know."

He let out his usual low growl, "What do you want me to say?"

"Well I don't know, that's for you to decide!"

"We're almost there."

"See, that's much better."

He didn't respond that time; he didn't need to as they had reached the room. Sakura flipped on the lights and looked at the nice, warm bed waiting for her. It looked so comfy and welcoming before her, all that had taken a toll on her; she was very tired.

She climbed into the bed, on her side, and pulled the covers over herself. The pillow was nice and cold, just the way she liked it.

Her eyes adjusted as the Kazekage turned off the lights. But he didn't return to bed like she had expected him to, instead she could see his silhouette in the window, looking out over the slumbering village. "Aren't you going to sleep, Gaara-san?"

"No."

Frowning, Sakura closed her eyes; the tone of his voice was definite and told her not to argue. Maybe he still didn't sleep much despite the Shukaku demon's absence. "Good-night, Gaara-san."

"Sakura."

Her eyes opened again, she could see that his head was turned slightly enough to look down at her. It was the first time he had called by name, what he had to say must be important. "Y-yes, Gaara-san?"

"…Thank you… for trusting me."

If the lights were on he could have seen the small smile on her lips, maybe even the redness in her cheeks. Sakura sighed inwardly; it had been a _very_ long day.

'_Maybe it won't be so bad, the beginning of a new life with him… and the end of an old…'_

**A/N: Yeah, so this chapter was a tad bit more serious then the other two; the whole wedding scene was just too perfect and all, happy and stuff. Not very Gaara-like I guess. xD**

**Oh, and I know the whole thing with Gaara walking too fast is really unlikely… I know very well that he walks REALLY slow as I generally get very pissed when I play him on Naruto Ultimate Ninja and I'm trying to get him to run. It just doesn't work. Xx**

**Sorry for the whole 'Sakura being emo' thing too, seems kinda ridiculous but I liked the whole idea of her mimicking Gaara… kinda creepy now that I think about it. xD**


End file.
